· July, 2008

Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from July, 2008

Russia: Bashkiria

  31 July 2008

Dmitri Minaev of De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis describes a recent trip to Bashkiria and posts pictures.

Russia: City Name Changes

  31 July 2008

The Turkish Invasion posts a list of Russian cities, which through history have undergone name changes, and comments on the phenomenon.

Russia: Medvedev to Fight Corruption

  31 July 2008

LJ user yangel reports (RUS) that president Medvedev has confirmed his plan to fight corruption, which signifies the start of a campaign to rid Russia of this malaise.

Russia: USAID Russian Style

  31 July 2008

LJ user epopov ru comments on (RUS) an article in today's Kommersant, claiming that Russia is to set up its own foreign aid agency, modelled on American USAID.

Hungary: Bomb Scare

  31 July 2008

Hungarian Spectrum writes about bomb scares in Budapest and the response and reactions to the latest one, caused by the discovery of a 2-ton “monster of a bomb.”

U.S., Bulgaria: Julian Tzolov

  31 July 2008

A Fistful of Euros writes on the case of Julian Tzolov, wanted in the U.S. for “selling auction rate securities (asset-backed bonds with frequent yield resets) to now aggrieved clients. The clients apparently thought they were buying bonds backed by student loans but were in fact buying dodgy mortgages, an...

Czech Republic: Expensive Water

  31 July 2008

The Czech Daily Word reports on how Czech restaurants are making money on drinking water: “Generally speaking the purchase prices for a .3L bottle of water in wholesale is CZK 4 (yes, FOUR), but if you go to a restaurant, a coffee house or a similar place, you pay CZK...

Serbia: Frontline Club's Live Discussion on Karadžić

  31 July 2008

From the Frontline announces: “Live discussion about Karadžić tonight Thu 31st July, 7.30pm UK time from the Frontline Club chaired by Ben Brown (BBC). Joining us will be Ed Vulliamy (Guardian and Observer), Kemal Pervanić (survivor of the Omarska concentration camp), Sir Geoffrey Nice (QC) and Gordana Igrić by skype...

Ukraine: “No Place in the EU”?

  31 July 2008

A Fistful of Euros critiques a “wince-inducingly stupid article” on Ukraine written by “Richard Wagner, a Transylvanian German writer. (Well, former Transylvanian. Like most T-Germans, he emigrated from Romania as soon as he could get out.)”

Armenia: NATO Cooperation

Window on Eurasia argues that Armenia's continued involvement in exercises staged under the auspices of the NATO Partnership for Peace Program marks an increasingly evident move towards Western rather than Russia military structures.

Italy: A National Registry for Roma People?

  30 July 2008

Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's new right wing Cabinet recently launched plans to carry out a national registration of all Roma people in Italy, including fingerprints of all children. Italy is home to an estimated 150,000 Roma and Sinti people (often referred to as Gypsies). The ensuing, heated public debate over whether this measure amounts to racial discrimination is overflowing in the online space of Italy and beyond.

Serbia: More on Belgrade Rally

  30 July 2008

Eric Gordy of East Ethnia writes about yesterday's pro-Karadzic rally in Belgrade: “Meanwhile the only element of the meeting that made news was the violent confrontation between skinheads and police, who this time around did not have orders to let the hooligans destroy anything they wanted.”

Ukraine: EU and NATO

  30 July 2008

Vitaliy of The 8th Circle writes about a debate on one of the blogs about the role Ukraine should play in the EU and NATO.

Moldova, Ukraine: Floods

  30 July 2008

A Fistful of Euros writes about “huge floods across southeastern Europe” and the lack of reliable information in English from this region.

About our Eastern & Central Europe coverage

Filip Stojanovski
Filip Stojanovski is the Central Europe editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.

Daria Dergacheva
Daria Dergacheva is the Eastern Europe editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.